Vaccines

Keeping your kiddo’s vaccines up-to-date is one of the easiest ways to protect their health and well-being. Angel Kids Pediatrics, with multiple locations in Jacksonville, Amelia Island, and St. Johns, Florida, providers regularly administer vaccines and immunizations to newborns, children, and teens. Vaccines won’t necessarily prevent your little one from getting sick, but they can reduce the risk of potentially severe outcomes. Contact 904-224-KIDS (5437) to request vaccines for your child today or request an appointment online. 

What are vaccines?

Vaccines help reduce your child’s risk of contagious diseases. They’re administered via injection or orally and “teach” your child’s immune system to identify invaders, like viruses, bacteria, or fungi. 

It’s crucial your child receives vaccines from the time they’re newborn. Doing so can reduce their risk of potentially serious illness and hospitalization.

How do vaccines work?

Vaccines expose your child’s immune system to a safe version of a disease. Depending on the vaccine your child receives, this can take the form of:

• A protein or sugar from a pathogen
• A dead or inactivated pathogen
• A toxoid containing toxin made by a pathogen
• A weakened pathogen

Your child’s body responds to the vaccine by building an adaptive immune response. That way, if your child encounters the same pathogen in real life, their immune system knows how to fight back.

What are some of the most common childhood immunizations?

Angel Kids Pediatrics administers various childhood immunizations, including:

• Hepatitis B
• Rotavirus (RV)
• Diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough (DTaP)
• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
• Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine PCV13
• Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV)
• Flu shot
• Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)
• Varicella (chickenpox)
• Meningococcal conjugate
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV9)

Are vaccines safe?

Vaccines are safe and usually well-tolerated. Before they’re released to the general public, immunizations undergo extensive testing and many rounds of examination and research. 

If you have questions regarding certain vaccines, your provider would be happy to discuss this with you. 

What is recovery like after vaccines?

After your child gets a vaccine, they may experience mild swelling, bruising, or redness at the injection site. Encourage your child to get plenty of rest and drink lots of water. The symptoms should subside within 24 hours, but if they continue or worsen, contact your child’s provider immediately.

Contact 904-224-KIDS(5437) to schedule a vaccine appointment for your child today, or request an appointment online.